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Lee Zija during his highest level at the
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was one of the best players at the time
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beating players like Kento Mimoda and
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even prime Victor Axelson.
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His next appearance is scheduled for the
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2026 Malaysia Open and many fans are
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excited to see it. And the question is,
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can Liz Jia reach peak form again? So,
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in this video, we want to see what Lee
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Za has changed since his prime in 2021.
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I think this one is also for Liza. Leija
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dominated with his explosiveness and his
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deadly smashes in the rear court.
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With one of the most powerful smashes in
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the world, his opponents faced an
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enormous amount of pressure when playing
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But you may have noticed that he has
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changed from a fast attacking style to a
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slower rallying style.
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As of recently, you can often see him
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taking the shuttle much later, playing
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high clears, high lifts, and dragging
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the rally on much longer.
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While it is okay to make adjustments to
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one's play style, it is important to
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realize where your strengths are on the
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Liy Gia's greatest strength is his
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ability to change pace and attack from
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the back, which creates opportunities
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for spin nets or kills at the front.
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Currently, Zia rarely uses his attacker
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speed anymore, which makes his opponents
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much more comfortable and willing to
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Much of this can be attributed to a
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lower fitness level and having less
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confidence, especially after an injury.
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At the BWF level, where everyone is fit
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and strong, it is difficult to beat most
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players by just dragging the rally on.
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Instead, you must look for opportunities
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to finish the rally or get your opponent
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Currently, Zia is much more passive,
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>> more so waiting for his opponent to make
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a mistake rather than putting pressure
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Ley Gia is often willing to give up the
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attack and be on the defensive the
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entire time, giving high lifts and
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clears, allowing his opponent to
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continue attacking him.
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While his defense is very good,
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it is difficult to win solely by
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Defensive players must always find a way
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So, it'll be interesting to see how Ley
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Jaw plays at the Malaysia Open after a
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six-month hiatus from tournaments.
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But another point that may have
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contributed to Li Ja's passive play
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style is his footwork. Which leads us to
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Currently, Zja's footwork is a lot
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You can see him recover out of the
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corners a little slower now, and that's
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why he's opting for slower shots and a
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slower play style. This can be due to a
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variety of reasons like injury, agility,
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If you watched our Anthony Ginting video
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on how to become the world's fastest
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badmitten player, we highlighted a point
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about hitting and moving right away.
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As soon as Ginting hits a shot, he is
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recovering and ready for the next shot.
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This allows him to have a high contact
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point for the next shot.
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However, Lee's EG's footwork has always
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been more focused on being more stable.
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A problem with this is if you lack the
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agility or don't have the mentality to
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push out of the corners quick, then it
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becomes more difficult to take the next
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One big example is LZ G's smash
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followup. At the professional level, it
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is very difficult to solely win off of a
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single smash because everyone's defense
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is at such a high level.
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What is more important is the followup
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after the smash. Ley Gia in more recent
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years can be seen smashing, but because
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of his slower recovery, takes the second
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shot much later and opts for a high
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lift. This allows his opponent to get
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back into the rally and potentially have
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an opportunity to attack. Compare this
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Aside from being a little slower on
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court, there was also another change
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that intrigued many fans. And this was
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his change in his rear court setup.
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If you followed Lee Z's career, you
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probably have noticed that Lea sets up
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higher and faster in his back court. The
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theory with the higher setup is that you
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can produce a quicker, more deceptive
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shot that's hard for your opponent to
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2020 to 2022, Lee Zja had the most
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deceptive background.
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This unexpectedness in his shot was
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because he would be moving to the
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shuttle very relaxed but suddenly speed
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To his opponent, Liia's posture and
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movement may look like he will play a
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but because of the power in his arm to
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produce a fast swing, he is able to
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suddenly change his shot without having
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a significant motion with his body.
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>> Nowadays, you don't often see Ley J
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perform these shots anymore.
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Many times, he will move relaxed to the
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shuttle and hit a relaxed shot like a
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which is why players have a much better
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time dealing with his back court and are
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often happy to continue rallying with
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>> At the 2024 World Tour finals, Lezi Ja
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played exceptionally well,
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>> so it was a shame to see him get
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>> With Ley J's return to play being
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scheduled for the upcoming 2026 Malaysia
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Open, we hope to see him back on court
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While he may not perform at his peak, as
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it is extremely difficult to do so after
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being away from tournaments for so long,
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we hope that he can play through this
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tournament and season injuryfree and
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make a comeback against all odds.
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If you guys like this video, make sure
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to hit the like and subscribe button.
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>> And as always, thanks for watching.
